Press Release

The OEC issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s Approval of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline:

“The OEC is deeply disappointed by the President Trump’s Administration’s approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline, which will be used to transport oil from Canada, through the US, to be sold to China.

“American communities are being asked to take on all of the risk of these pipelines without seeing substantial benefits.

“Oil pipelines are prone to leaks and spills that cause environmental disasters. We’ve seen this time and again. When spills occur hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil pollute the streams and rivers farmers rely on to grow their crops, and communities need for drinking water.

“The Keystone XL pipeline is especially dangerous in that it cuts across the Ogallala Aquifer, one of the world’s largest underground deposits of freshwater.

“The Keystone XL pipeline saw unprecedented opposition that should inform our decision makers of where Americans stand on this issue. We are disheartened to see efforts to revive an issue that has already been decided and that will only prolong the U.S.’s dependence on fossil fuels as the rest of the world makes huge strides in the booming clean energy industry.”